PHILADELPHIA -- GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) announced Thursday the first-ever sports sponsorship on behalf of its brand AVODART® (dutasteride), to become an official marketing partner of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.

AVODART’s relationship with the PGA TOUR will help raise awareness of prostate health issues for men 50 years of age and older, an important demographic for the brand. AVODART is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of an enlarging prostate, a condition that affects more than half of all men over age 50.

“The PGA TOUR’s audience matches the demographic we want to focus on to increase awareness of enlarging prostate, an important health concern facing millions of men,” said Peter Lammers, vice president, Men's Health/Anti-infectives/Lifecycle, Glaxo SmithKline. “We are confident that partnering AVODART with the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour will significantly raise education and awareness with a new spectrum of consumers.”

The sponsorship will include a media campaign and on-site activities at PGA TOUR and Champions Tour events that will utilize the theme “In Case You Missed It.” In-broadcast features will air during most PGA TOUR telecasts, through the end of the summer on cable and network television. The features will highlight play from the previous or current round and showcase top plays throughout the tournament, or provide an interesting piece of golf information from the previous week that a viewer may have “missed.”

AVODART will implement a variety of activities at select tournaments that leverage “In Case You Missed It,” including an interactive display area, educational literature, consumer promotions and on-site signage/branding.

“We’re proud and excited to welcome AVODART to a great family of PGA TOUR official marketing partners,” said Tom Wade, the PGA TOUR’s chief marketing officer. “AVODART and the PGA TOUR have worked together to develop a creative way to convey a vital health message to a large segment of our fan base.”